How Does a Heat Pump Work?

An energy efficient heat pump works almost exactly like a traditional air conditioner. During summer, the design traps heat with a coolant, then expels it outside the home. An air conditioner does the exact same thing, but the difference really comes in winter. Unlike an air conditioner, a heat pump can operate to provide the cold weather heating that an air conditioner can't using the exact same mechanical process. So, how does a heat pump work? It's called the refrigeration cycle.

How Does a Heat Pump Work? SCIENCE!

It's summer and your home is sweltering. You turn on the AC and it goes to work drawing heat into the coil, passing it to the exterior condenser, and expelling it back into the outside air. The more heat the air conditioner removes from the house, the cooler and more comfortable the interior becomes. This is a process we're all familiar with. A heat pump uses that exact same mechanical process to produce heat in cold weather.

Ambient Heat

Even in Antarctica, there is always some heat in the outside air. Now, obviously, there is less heat on cold days in Wisconsin than in a Miami July, but that doesn't change the fact that it's there. During the warming cycle, a heat pump draws ambient heat from outside the home and puts it back in. That's how they heat; they're an air conditioner that can run backwards!

Heat Pump - Why Don't You Have One?

When it comes right down to it, everything an air conditioner can do, a heat pump can do and more. They both provide cooling and dehumidifying. However, only one of them can provide warm, luxurious and energy efficient heat. So, yeah, why don't you have one yet? You'll sacrifice nothing, increase your home HVAC system's flexibility, and save money thanks to improved efficiency. It could only be better if it mowed your yard.